According to MirrorFootball, Chelsea are the favorites to sign 16-year-old Ipswich striker Connor Wickham. They are prepared to offer £5million for Wickham, who last season became the youngest player ever to appear in the Championship League for Ipswich.

According to Simon Bird at MirrorFootball, Chelsea are interested in signing £4million Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson. The plan is to purchase him in January and then loan him back until the end of the season.

According to the Daily Mail, Napoli have stated that they plan on holding onto midfielder Marek Hamsik despite interest from Chelsea. Napoli sporting director Riccardo Bigon told Sky Italia,

"We have not received any official offer .

According to Andrew Dillon at The Sun, Chelsea captain John Terry expects to see new faces at the club this January especially since there is no telling if the club's transfer ban might be enforced again. He said,

"It's good news about the transfer ban being suspended but we lose four good players to the African Nations Cup in January anyway.

According to Gary York at the Lancashire Telergraph, Blackburn would like to permanently sign Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo, but not during the January transfer window. Instead Blackburn would like to sign him on loan once again until the end of the season where they will then make an offer.

According to Alan Nixon at MirrorFootball, Chelsea are interested in signing Sao Paolo midfielder Lucas Piazon. Chelsea supposedly sent some of their men to negotiate and talk with the club and player.

According to Chris Burton at Sky Sports News, Benfica winger Angel Di Maria has no intentions of leaving anytime soon, despite being linked with Chelsea and Manchester United. Di Maria said,

"I am only thinking about Benfica and looking forward to playing the match tomorrow .

UPDATE: According to Chelsea's official website, Chelsea have permanently sold striker Claudio Pizarro to Werder Bremen.

August 12th, 2009 According to James Riach at Sky Sports News, Werder Bremen are hopeful in signing Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro.

UPDATE: According to Chelsea's official website, Chelsea have completed the signing of MFK Kosice midfielder Nemanja Matic. Matic signed a four-year deal with the club.

August 13th, 2009 According to Tony Banks at the Daily Express, Chelsea are looking to sign MFK Kosice midfielder Nemanja Matic for £5million.

UPDATE: According to Dominic Fifield at the Guardian, Chelsea do not plan on talking to striker Nicolas Anelka about a new deal until after the season.

August 13th, 2009 According to the Daily Mirror, Chelsea striker Nicholas Anelka is set to begin contract discussions with the club next week.

According to Luis Mira at Goal.com, Marca is reporting that Chelsea are preparing to bid €47million for Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero.

According to Newcastle United's official website, Newcastle have signed Manchester United defender Danny Simpson on loan until January.

According to Chelsea's official website, Chelsea have loaned out midfielder Liam Bridcutt to Stockport County until January 2nd.

According to the Daily Mirror, Chelsea striker Nicholas Anelka is set to begin contract discussions with the club next week. His agent Doug Puglisi said,

"I think we will be having talks with Chelsea next week about Nicolas' contract .

According to Tony Banks at the Daily Express, Chelsea are looking to sign MFK Kosice midfielder Nemanja Matic for £5million. Matic said,

"Chelsea are very interested about seeing me in their ranks. I've left the whole matter up to my agents.

UPDATE: According to Wolverhampton's official website, Wolverhampton signed Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne on a season-long loan.

July 8th, 2009 According to the Express and Star, Wolverhampton's top target is Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne.

According to James Riach at Sky Sports News, Werder Bremen are hopeful in signing Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro. Manager Thomas Schaaf told Bild,

"I hope we get Pizarro ... Basically, we are considering where we can strengthen our team and what players can help us with their quality in the long term.

UPDATE: According to the London Evening Standard, Bayern Munich are once again interested in Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa. Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness told the Daily Mail,

"We need a strong, experienced defender on the right side, especially if we use (Franck) Ribery in a more offensive role, as is being considered.

According to Adam Scime at Goal.com, les-transferts.com is reporting that Chelsea are interested in Sampdoria striker Giampaolo Pazzini. It is reported that they are willing to pay around €18million for him.

UPDATE: According to ESPN Soccernet, Roma rejected a bid from Chelsea for midfielder Daniele De Rossi. Roma director Bruno Conti told Radio Radio,

"I've personally had a call from Ancelotti to take the player to Chelsea.

According to Rob Beasley at News of the World, Chelsea are planning to bid £45million for AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato and then loan him back to the club for a year. An insider at Chelsea said,

"Ancelotti's so keen to capture Pato that he will pay a club record fee and still allow the kid to stay at Milan for another season.

According to Francisco Acedo at Sky Sports News, Arsenal have agreed to loan Fran Merida to Levante for the upcoming season. The deal should become official on Sunday.

According to Stoke City's official website, Stoke City have loaned out Ben Marshall to Northampton for three months.

According to Wigan Athletic's official website, Wigan Athletic have signed Chelsea striker Scott Sinclair on a season-long loan.

UPDATE: According to Adam Scime at Goal.com, Corriere dello Sport is reporting that AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo is not for sale. AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi said,

"Andrea Pirlo is off the market. He will stay with us and finish his career in Milan .

UPDATE: According to Chelsea's official website, Chelsea have signed striker Didier Drogba to a new three-year contract.

July 21st, 2009 According to Dominic Fifield at the Guardian, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is set to sign a new three-year deal with the club once he returns from the club's pre-season tour.

UPDATE: According to Martin Lipton at the Daily Mirror, Chelsea are set to increase their offer for AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo. It is reported that they will now offer Claudio Pizarro + £10million.

August 1st, 2009 According to ESPN Soccernet, AC Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani admitted that he wants more from Chelsea for midfielder Andrea Pirlo.

According to ESPN Soccernet, there are reports claiming that Arsenal are closing in on Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou. It is rumored that Arsenal is willing to double Kalou's wages to around £60,000-a-week.

According to Blackburn's official website, Blackburn have signed Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo on loan until January. Blackburn have the option of extending the loan at that time if Chelsea do not want Di Santo.

According to ESPN Soccernet, AC Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani admitted that he wants more from Chelsea for midfielder Andrea Pirlo. Chelsea reportedly offered $11.3million + striker Claudio Pizarro. However Galliani told Sky Italia,

"At this price Pirlo is not for sale,"

According to John Cross at the Daily Mirror, Chelsea are preparing to offer Ashley Cole and Joe Cole new long-term contracts.

UPDATE: According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea have offered Claudio Pizarro as well as Michael Mancienne on a season-long loan in exchange for AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo.

July 13th, 2009 According to Salvatore Landolina at Goal.

According to Andy Cryer at the Lancashire Telegraph, Blackburn are interested in signing Zenit St Petersburg striker Pavel Pogrebnyak if they are unsuccesful is signing Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo on loan.

According to Chelsea's official website, Chelsea have made midfielder Sergio Tejera's loan deal with Real Mallorca permanent.

According to Stephen Crawford at Goal.com, UEFA is looking to limit the amount of money spent on transfers by clubs. An official statement in UEFAdirect said,

"The aim is for all clubs to be able to live on the income they generate ... A series of incentives and disciplinary action will be examined at the next executive committee meeting.

UPDATE: According to Peter O'Rourke at Sky Sports News, striker Frank Nouble is undergoing a medical for West Ham United. United have supposedly offered the youngster a five-year deal.

July 20th, 2009 According to Peter O'Rourke at Sky Sports News, West Ham United are "poised" to sign Chelsea striker Frank Nouble.

According to Dominic Fifield at the Guardian, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is set to sign a new three-year deal with the club once he returns from the club's pre-season tour.

Also, manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted that the club has not received any offers for striker Andriy Shevchenko.